Contribution of obesity to left atrial and left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with hypertension: A two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiographic study

Hypertension and obesity each are well known to result in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Therefore, it is clinically important to clarify the mechanisms of further deterioration of left atrial (LA)-left ventricular (LV) interaction in asymptomatic patients with obesity in the presence of hypertension. Data on conventional and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) were obtained from 134 asymptomatic hypertensive patients. The study sample was divided into two groups: non-obese (n = 80; body mass index [BMI] <25 kg/m2] and obese (n = 54; BMI ≥25 kg/m2). The end-diastolic LV diameter, ratio of early transmitral flow to mitral annular motion velocity (E/e’), peak systolic LV circumferential strain rate, and E/e’/peak systolic LA strain (S-LAs) were greater in the obese group. Among the significantly correlated variables with BMI and E/e’/S-LAs in univariate analyses, multivariate analyses revealed that BMI is independently associated with end-diastolic LV diameter and peak systolic LV radial strain in all hypertensive patients, and that age, systolic blood pressure, relative LV wall thickness, peak systolic mitral annular motion velocity (s’), peak systolic LV radial strain, and peak early diastolic LV longitudinal strain rate are identified as independent predictors related to E/e’/S-LAs in the obese patients, whereas only s’ contributes to the E/e’/S-LAs in the non-obese patients. Impaired LA-LV interaction was accelerated with obesity in the presence of hypertension. Assessment of the LA and LV function using 2DSTE provided additional information to the negative effects of cardiovascular risk factors on the LA and LV function in patients without clinical symptoms.